My Warby Parker Glasses Purchase Experience

I’ve had the same pair of glasses for absolute ages because being a girl with terrible vision is just so dang expensive. I’m used to paying $500 (before insurance, thankfully) for just the lenses. I had heard of Warby Parker and had perused the website more times than I can count, but I never took the plunge… until now.

I figured that sharing my experience could be very helpful, as I’ve spoken to many people who are interested but don’t know exactly what to expect. It was a fairly straightforward experience, but I’m thankful I did my research beforehand.

Heading to the mall straight out of the eye doctor*, I immediately was overwhelmed with the choices. I wasn’t sure where to begin, so I’m thankful that the nearest associate came to my rescue. We first spoke about what I was interested in and what I wanted to steer clear of. He also took a look at my prescription to inform me of my surcharge (due to my prescription) and gave me an idea of what to expect (for example, which frames would show the thicker lenses more).

*I decided to go to my nearest store because honestly, I have a nearest Warby Parker store. Had I not lived equidistant to 3 of them I would have done the try-on at home program.

David (the associate helping me out) pulled a few for me, which were great suggestions (like the one on the left below) but were a bit too in my comfort zone.

Tip: bring your most recent pair of glasses as a frame (pun intended) of reference. I knew I wanted to do something completely different, so I liked being able to compare.

I was getting frustrated at the fact that this was more difficult than I had expected. Most of the glasses are slight variations of each other, and I had to do many iterations of “these are basically all the same but which is my favorite.”

After trying on most of the store (you think I’m kidding), I narrowed it down to three very different options.

As I stood there trying on various frames, I began wishing I had actually put on makeup and more than my yoga pants/t-shirt combo.

Once I finally chose those three favorites, I turned toward the associates for their guidance.

One of the associates (thankfully) said – “those look too similar to what you have, and you’re more of a silver than a gold. Also, we don’t find many people who can pull off the Milton’s – go with them.” It might sound a bit pushy, but it was exactly what I needed to pull the trigger. They never made decisions for me, but encouraged me to go with my guy (which was definitely the Milton’s before I even asked).

Once I had chosen frames, they did a few tests to check my pupillary distance (how far apart your eyes are) to make sure that the glasses fit properly. I even got to speak to their optometrist to address any questions. If you aren’t going to the store, you can do this on their site!

The Timeline:

The Pricing:

I definitely was hurt because of my prescription.

When you see $95 or $145 on the pair of glasses – that’s it. It includes the frames, the lenses, and shipping… unless you’ve got bad eyes like me. In full transparency, I paid a total of $275 ($145 for the frames/lenses + upcharge for the special things they have to do with my “highest index” lenses). I would do your research (start here on the Help page) to get a better picture of whether or not this applies to you.

Because I went for wire-rimmed glasses, you can see that my lenses are thicker than most. I discussed this with the associate (he was very forthcoming about it), but I don’t mind it too much. No matter which frames I get, you’d probably be able to tell at least a little bit.

The Package:

The glasses, a case, and cloth are included in the box.

The Returns:

I (obviously) haven’t returned my glasses, but here’s the blurb from the website if you’re interested.

We have a 30-day, no-questions-asked return or exchange policy for all of our eyewear. If you aren’t satisfied, we can set you up with a full refund or an exchange within 30 days of receipt. Additionally, we have a one-year, no-scratch guarantee for our lenses, and we’ll replace your scratched lenses for free within that timeline.

There are also different options for insurance, and they give you step-by-step instructions for back-applying to insurance via the confirmation email.

The Adjusting:

I found that right when the glasses came in, they were already a bit crooked.

I went into the store for an adjustment, and it was super quick and easy. They were very accommodating and while I wish they weren’t wonky from the start, thankfully I work fairly near a store. According to their website, they do reimburse partially for any adjustment charges if you can’t get into the store.

My hope is that this isn’t the norm and that it might just be due to my prescription.

Have you purchased from Warby Parker? I’d love to hear in the comments below!

2 Comments

Nicola

March 6, 2018 / 12:30 pm

I refuse to shop for glasses anywhere but Warby! I loved the experience and most of my cost was covered by my insurance. I wasn’t careful with my first pair and the lenses got scratched in the first couple months. I went in to the store and within 3 days a new pair of glasses was shipped to me, no questions asked! Both pairs were a little crooked, but I chalk that up to my less than symmetrical ears and not the glasses themselves. They adjusted them quickly and easily. I love Warby!